Unavoidable Thoughts
by walkingdread
Summary: When Michonne has a close call with a herd of walkers, she can't help but think of Rick./Follows episode 6.03 "Thank You"
1. Chapter 1

Her mind kept going back to that moment. Dangling from that fence like bait, walkers biting at her feet, everything so close to ending. As she fought her way up the fence, struggling to free her feet from the walkers below, she looked to her right to see David being pulled down into the see of the snarling dead. The conversation from earlier was sounding through her head over and over again. David telling her about how Betsy brought him back from his post-apocalyptic haze. From there, Michonne's thoughts drifted to the day she limped across the field with a basket full of baby formula.

The prison looked like a haven from the outside. Guarded by a man standing on the other side of the gate looking at her walk across the field with confusion. As he came closer to her, she noticed the expression on his tired, weary face. He seemed hesitant, like he was waiting for her to make any sudden movements. They stood on their sides of the gate still and silent looking straight at one another.

Looking at David falling into the herd of walkers, Michonne couldn't help but feel heart broken for Betsy. She didn't want to have to go back to Alexandria, if it was still there, to tell Betsy that her husband wasn't coming home. She imagined herself in Betsy's place. What if one day one of her family didn't come back home, Carol, Glenn, Carl, … Rick. She couldn't deny the extra dread that went through her mind at the thought of never seeing Rick again. She knew that her connection with Rick was not the same as with the others. She had tried to ignore the feelings, playing them off as silly. There would not be a happy ending in her future so what's the point in risking their friendship. Both of them have memories of people they loved that haunted them. Still, part of her couldn't help but wonder if he felt anything for her. There had been moments where she thought that he did, like when he asked her to be there for Carl or earlier that day when he told her "you make sure you get back." She knew that he cared about her but to what extent.

The thought of all the people she loved being in danger gave her the strength to pull herself over the fence to escape the herd below only to turn back and see David being dragged into the walkers until she could no longer see him. She thought of the note he tried to give her for Betsy. Why had she insisted on him keeping it?

As they made their way back to Alexandria she noticed the words still written on her arm. "You're getting home." She wished so badly that she had been right. She wiped the words off her arm to get them out of her head. David was not getting home but thank God she would, hopefully Rick would be there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **This chapter starts to diverge from the episode a little bit.**

As they slowly make their way through the woods away from the herd, Michonne and Heath support Scott who is fading faster. Michonne's thoughts once again return to those left at Alexandria. She thinks of Carl left to protect Judith without his dad. Oh god, Rick! Glenn still has the radio so she can't contact him. Last time she saw him he was going to get the RV by himself. They are closer to Rick than Alexandria. "We should find Rick." Heath turns to her confused, "We should go back to Alexandria, Scott needs medical attention." Michonne stops walking and turns to look at Heath, "There are enough medical supplies in the RV to replace Scott's bandages and its much closer to us than Alexandria. Plus we need to get Scott off this leg." Heath doesn't budge. Michonne pleads, "We can't leave Rick out there alone. Please." He reluctantly agrees and they head toward the direction Rick was going.

Michonne's mind is swarmed with paranoid thoughts about Rick's safety. He should not have gone alone. What if he is hurt or worse? If only she had that radio. Why haven't Glenn and Nicholas gotten the building lit up yet? She tries to put these thoughts out of her mind and focus on going in the right direction. Michonne and Heath are growing very tired under the weight of Scott's tall frame. They reach the road only to hear the faint sounds of walkers groaning in the distance. "That sounds like its coming from Rick's direction!" Heath gives her a reassuring look, "He shouldn't be too much farther."

As they get to the top of a hill she can barely make out the RV down the road. She lets out a big sigh but she can't let her self lose focus, he could still be in danger. As they get closer they notice all the walkers lying on the ground around the RV while a group are still pounding on the outside. Michonne takes Scott's arm from around her shoulders and starts to sprint toward the large vehicle. Heath calls out to her, "Wait up!" She starts to panic. Where is Rick? She gets to the RV with her adrenaline pumping taking down several walkers as she fights her way to the door. "Rick!" She kills the last walker and stops before opening the door. Her mind jumps to the worst outcomes. What if he's dead? She swings open the door and she can finally breathe again.

Rick is sitting on the floor behind the drivers seat with his arms wrapped around his knees and his head down. She can't help but be overwhelmed. With misty eyes and a raspy voice she says his name, "Rick." He slowly lifts his head and looks up at her but the expression on his face makes her heart stop. "What happened?" She slides down next to him as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a jar of baby food. "I found it in one of their pockets. They were in Alexandria." She follows his gaze to the two men lying dead on the floor in the RV. Suddenly she realized what he was thinking and her eyes flew to his. She saw the terror and exhaustion in his face and it made her well up with tears. She put her arm around his and laid her head on his shoulder, "I'm sure they are okay. Carl is a brave kid and he would do anything to protect his sister and Carol is there too." She couldn't fool herself, she too was thinking the worst.

 **Stay tuned for Chapter 3...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Thanks for all the favorites and follows, I am really enjoying writing this story!**

Michonne and Rick sat on the floor in the RV for a while in silence finding comfort in each other's company. The level of comfort between the two of them did not go unnoticed by Michonne. She wondered what this meant, what it _could_ mean. Still, she couldn't help but think of the people back home. As much as she wanted to be here for Rick to comfort him she knew they needed to getting moving.

The door opened and Heath called to Michonne, "Can I get some help here?!" She looked at Rick who showed no signs of moving anytime soon. She stood up keeping her eyes on him thinking of the thoughts going through his mind and the things he must be feeling. He was in shock. She walked to the door and helped Heath lift Scott into the RV. "Take him to the back and lay him down. We need to elevate his leg and put some fresh bandage on it. I'll get this thing started and we can head to Alexandria." Or what's left of it, she thought.

"It won't start." She turned to Rick who was looking at the orange jar of baby food in his hands. He spoke in a quiet voice, "I tried a dozen times, I can't get it to start."

Michonne looked down at him, "There's gotta be a way to fix it. Do you have your walkie-talkie?"

"Driver's seat," said Rick. She picked up the radio and sat down in the seat. "Maybe Glenn and Nicholas have got the feed store lit up by now and he can come get it running. She lifted the radio up and pressed the button on the side, "Glenn…Glenn can you hear me? Glenn?" She heard Rick sigh behind her, "I haven't been able to reach him since he was about to set the fire. I haven't seen any smoke, have you?" Michonne began to worry. "No, I haven't."

She turned to look at Rick who was still sitting on the floor but was now looking up at her. "Try Daryl," he said, exhausted. She lifted the walkie-talkie again and held down the button, "Daryl you there?"

A few seconds went by that seemed like a lifetime. Static sounded from the radio and Daryl's voice came through, "I'm here." She slumped down into the chair and let out a sigh of relief. At least someone made it. Gripping the walkie-talkie she spoke into the speaker, "Listen, Rick, Heath, Scott, and I are stuck in the RV and it won't start. I can't get a hold of Glenn. Where are you?"

"I'm headed your way. I heard gunshots over the radio earlier, is everyone okay?" Michonne looked back at Rick then toward the back of the RV where Heath was tending to Scott. "We're alive. Scott is hurt pretty badly. He can't walk."

Static came from the radio as Daryl responded, "I'm almost to you. I can check out the RV and get you guys on the road back to Alexandria." Michonne started to feel a little bit better about their situation. Daryl is always working on his bike; he should be able to fix the RV then they can get back to Alexandria where Scott can get some proper medical attention and Rick can find his children. She prayed that Carl and Judith were safe, not just for Rick but for her as well. She had grown to really care for Carl as a part of her family and every time she looked at Judith she saw her son Andre. They all sat there drawn into themselves.

Several minutes had passed in silence when a faint rumble came from down the road. Michonne looked up to see Daryl's bike flying toward them. He skidded to a stop right in front of the RV and got off the bike. Looking at the RV then up at Michonne he yelled over the hood. "I'm gonna pop the hood and check her out." Michonne gave him a reassuring nod then walked over to Rick and sat back down beside him. He winced as she nudged his arm as she sat down. She noticed the blood on his hand. "May I?" She looked into his eyes as he realized what she was asking. Rick nodded and turned his hand up for her to see. She gently held his hand in hers turning it from side to side to look at the cut. His hands were calloused and worn like a farmer's. She wondered what his hands looked like before all this.

She examined his cut a little more then noticed Rick staring at her with an odd expression in his eyes. The way he was looking at her almost made her uncomfortable. She could tell there were a lot of emotions going through his mind. She hoped that Carl and Judith were okay because she didn't know if Rick would make it if they weren't. "They are okay, I promise." As she said the words she hoped they were true. She didn't' want to break another promise today.

 **Chapter 4 soon…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Thanks for sticking with it** **J**

Michonne and Rick's gaze was broken by Daryl clearing his throat at the door of the RV. "One of y'all try to crank this thing." With one last look at Rick, Michonne stood up and walked over to the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered for a few second then cranked. They all let out a collective sigh of relief. "Well I don't know what I did but it worked. Y'all head back home. I am gonna meet back up with Abraham and Sasha and help lead the rest of the heard away. The half that broke off seem to have scattered out in different directions far as I can tell." Michonne nodded in agreement, "Be safe." With a nod, Daryl got back on his bike and drove off. Michonne walked to the back to find Heath sitting next to an unconscious Scott. "He passed out. We need to get him back home quick." Heath looked in Rick's direction then at Michonne. "Is he going to be alright?" She sighed, "Yeah he'll be okay, he always is. He's just been through a lot. Let's get him home to his family."

Michonne sat down in the driver's seat and put it in gear. She thought about the moment that passed between her and Rick while she was tending to his hand. It had never occurred to her how little physical contact has happened between them until she was sitting so close to him with his hand in hers. The intensity of emotions she felt made her uneasy. She wondered if he noticed. The way he was looking at her in that moment would suggest that he felt something. A part of her wished these new feelings would go away. Her relationship with Rick meant a lot to her and she didn't want it to change or become awkward.

She heard Rick groan as he stood up and walked over to the passenger seat to sit down next to her. She turned to look at him only to catch him looking right back at her. He smiled slightly and began to speak, "Thanks for taking over. I just needed some time to deal." Michonne gave him a reassuring smirk, "Of course, I understand." They both turned to face the road ahead, the road that would lead them back to Alexandria and to their family.

/

Rick sat on the floor, his every thought focusing on Carl and Judith. He doesn't consider himself to be a religious man but he prayed that his children and friends were safe. He thought about what Lori had said to him long ago, "Why do we want Carl to live in this world, to have this life? So that he can see more people torn apart in front of him? So that he'll run and run and run and even if he survives he ends up just another animal that doesn't know anything except survival." He knew that her heart would break if she knew what he and Carl and Judith had been through, the things they've seen and done. He had been thinking about her a lot since they got to Alexandria. He thought about how much she would love the idea of starting over in a safe place where Carl could have friends and be a normal kid every once in a while. He thought about her when they walked into the house for the first time. She would be happy that Carl finally had a home. He wished that she could see the way Carl is with Judith. He thought about Lori when he kissed Jessie's cheek, how he felt like he was cheating. He thought about her when Michonne was sitting next to him on the floor of the RV moments ago. He had been noticed his relationship with Michonne shifting recently. Anytime he looked in her eyes he felt safe. Carl and Judith are the only other people that make him feel safe like that. Michonne's presence always calmed him and when she was holding his hand he felt the worry become lighter. He knew that they had a different kind of connection. When he was around Michonne he didn't feel like a cheater the way he has with Jessie. He knew that Lori and Michonne would have been friends. He felt somehow that Lori would understand, maybe even approve if something were to develop between the two of them. This thought jerked him out of his state of shock and brought him back to reality.

He lifted his head and looked around the now moving RV. He heard Heath talking quietly to Scott in the back, telling him he was going to make it. He then looked ahead at the moving scenery and began to stand up. He slumped down into the passenger seat next to Michonne. As he looked at her he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she was in his life and for what she has done for him and his family. She turned to look at him. He smiled and decided to vocalize this feeling, "Thanks for taking over. I just needed some time to deal." He noticed a small smile appear on her face as she said, "Of course, I understand." She turned back to face the road and he followed her lead.

They were almost to Alexandria. His heart started pounding as he thought of Carl and Judith. Please God let them be okay. I don't think I could go on without them. He felt his eyes well up a bit as he noticed Michonne quickly look away. He then felt her hand on top of his and instantly started to calm down. If he thought too hard about what might be waiting for them at Alexandria he would panic. He twisted his hand and gripped hers tightly as her touch gave him the strength to believe everything was going to be okay.

 **Look out for Chapter 5 for their return to Alexandria!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The RV pulled to a stop outside the half open gate of Alexandria as Michonne and Rick sat staring through the windshield. Through the opening of the gate Rick could see a body lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His heart stopped. In that moment he imagined everyone he loved killed. He saw Carl and Judith left unprotected and vulnerable. He was scared to move. He did not want to walk through that gate to see the remains of the people he loved lying on the ground dead or shambling down the street hungry for blood. He heard Heath walk up behind him. He stood in between Rick and Michonne noticing what they had just seen, "Oh my God."

/

Her thoughts interrupted by Heath, Michonne got up and made her way to the back of the RV. Scott was stilling lying on the bench unconscious but breathing. Part of her was glad he wasn't awake to see what was the inevitable scene in front of them. She was worried about Rick. She could only imagine what could be going through his mind, afraid that he wouldn't see his kids alive again. She was scared too, for him, for the people in Alexandria, and for the ones still outside amongst the herd. Heath, walking toward Michonne, began to speak, "We need to get him inside, I don't think the two of us can carry him by ourselves." She knew he was right. The two of them may be strong but they couldn't carry Scott's large frame all the way to Denise as tired as they were. "Rick can you come help us?" No response. She turned to Heath, "One second." She walked back up the front where Rick was still sitting frozen in the passenger seat. "Rick? I'm sure they're okay, Carl's a tough kid; He can protect himself and Judith. We need you to help us carry Scott." Without looking up, Rick moved to the driver's seat and put the RV in drive. Barely fitting through the open gate he drove down the street toward where Denise would be. Michonne noticed some bodies lying on the sidewalk, "They're human." Rick finally took his eyes off the road and looked at her, "What?". "Those bodies over there, they look human and I don't mean Alexandrians." Rick followed her gaze and saw a couple of bodies dressed in black cloaks lying on the sidewalk. "What happened here?"

It took all three of them to carry Scott's unconscious body into Denise's office where she was tending to a patient with a stab wound in the shoulder. She looked up at them as they came through the door and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh thank God! I could use some help." They laid Scott down on a nearby table as Denise finished bandaging her patient's shoulder, "You're gonna be fine, Amy."

"Who attacked you guys," Michonne asked as she walked over to the window. Denise wiped some blood off her cheek as she searched her mind for an answer, "Honestly, I have no idea. I have been in here tending to people. I never saw any of them. One of my patients said they were all dressed in black and had W's on their foreheads. They didn't have any guns, just knives." Michonne looked at Denise, "What did they want?" Denise started to cut Scott's pant leg where he had been shot, "Nothing, except to kill us I guess…"

"Wait. You're telling me …", Heath's voice frightened Michonne. She had gotten lost in her train of thought only to look up and notice that Rick was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Thanks so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! I am having so much fun writing Michonne and Rick! Enjoy...**

"Denise, can you handle this by yourself?" Heath walked up to the table where Scott was lying, "I can help." Michonne didn't wait for Denise to respond before she ran out the door. She didn't know how long Rick had been gone but she knew where he was going. As she ran up to the house she saw a body lying in the grass across the street. She ran down the sidewalk, up the steps, and through the open door, "RICK…RICK!" There was no one downstairs. She made her way up the stairs and into Carl's room where Rick was sitting at the foot of the bed.

"They aren't here," Rick said in a barely audible voice as he looked up at her with teary eyes. Michonne sat down on the bed next to him and put her hand on his arm. He got up and started pacing the room, "I should never have left them. Why do I always leave them?! I should know by now that no one is ever safe, not even inside these walls! What kind of a father leaves his teenage son and infant daughter to defend themselves in a world like this! Lori would never have left them." Michonne walked over to Rick and put her arms around him in a tight hug. "Listen to me. You are a good father. You left them to lead the danger away from Alexandria. You were trying to protect them. They weren't alone; Carol was here too. There is no way you could have known another group of people were going to show up and attack them out of nowhere." She felt Rick's tears on her neck. "Carl is smart. I'm sure he took Judith somewhere safer. We'll find them." She pulled away to look him in the eye. "Trust me."

/

Rick's mind was racing; he couldn't stop pacing from wall to wall. He didn't even know what he was saying but he needed to talk, to move to keep his mind from picturing it. He was stopped by Michonne's arms wrapping around his neck in a hug. Her embrace immediately calms him. He wraps his arms around her, happy to have someone with him in this moment and happy it's her. Her words of encouragement and reassurance make him feel a little more optimistic but he still can't help but assume the worst. The idea of his son and daughter being gone is too much to bear as he lets his head fall onto her shoulder.

Their intimacy in this moment does not go unnoticed by either of them. Michonne knows that the odds of everyone coming out of this unscathed are low but knowing that they have each other makes all the difference in the world. She feels a pang of guilt for thinking about herself at a time like this but Rick's embrace feels right, like nothing else has since this whole apocalypse started.

Rick lets out a deep breath and pulls away to wipe the tears from his face, "I have to find them, they have to be here somewhere. I'm going to check the rest of the houses."

"I'll come with you."

"No, we'll cover more ground if we split up. You take the East side, I'll take the West."

Rick looked at Michonne as he waited for her to respond. He could tell she was worried about him. He knew she wanted to find Carl and Judith as much as he did and he was grateful for that but as much as he would like to have her by his side he knew they had a better chance of finding them if they split up.

Michonne didn't want to leave Rick to go off on his own in his current condition. She knew he was scared and vulnerable but he was right. They would find them faster if they went their separate ways. She nodded, "Okay, you're right." As they both walked out of the place they had come to know as home, Michonne grabbed Rick arm, "Be careful." A hint of a smile spread across his face, "You too."

/

She had searched every house on this street with no luck of finding Carl, Judith, or Carol. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she walked up to the last house on her side of the neighborhood. As she walked up the steps to the front door she heard voices coming from inside. Busting through the door, she sees Jessie and Ron standing in the Kitchen, Jessie covered in blood.

"Michonne? Thank god you're back. Did the plan work?"

"Not really. Is there anyone else here?"

"Michonne?" This familiar voice came from behind in the living room. She turned to see Carl standing there. Without hesitation she grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace. It had been a long time since she had been this happy to see someone. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she hugged him. She pulled back and grabbed his shoulder, looking him over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He looked at her slightly confused. "I'm fine. Are YOU okay?" She let out a little laugh and hugged him again. "I'm better now. We thought you were dead." Just as her thoughts went to Judith she herd Carol speak from across the room, "You're back." She lifted her head to see Carol walking toward her with Judith asleep in her arms. She let go of Carl and kissed Judith on the head, "Only she could sleep through all this."

She was so relieved that everyone was okay. She couldn't wait to tell Rick, he must be frantic, still searching for them. She turned back to Carl who was still looking at her with a bewildered look on his face. "We need to find your dad. He is going crazy looking for you. He had a bit of an emotional breakdown thinking he had lost you and Judith. The plan to draw the walkers away got messed up. Half of them are still following Abraham, Sasha, and Daryl as far as I know but the rest broke off in this direction following the noise. We got them scattered in different directions but some of them are still headed this way."

"There were others…people…they attacked Alexandria but we took care of it," said Carol.

Michonne could see that Carol had been fighting. She had the remnants of a red W on her forehead. "You all right," she asked her.

Carol looked at her then at Judith, "Yeah."

She was glad to see them all safe and unharmed but she knew that they didn't have much time before the rest of the walkers would get here. She looked back at Carl. "We need to find your Dad."

 **Ch.7 coming soon...:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"We need to find your dad."

Michonne looked at Carl. She could tell that he understood the impending danger. She thought about the young boy she met when she showed up at the prison that day with the baby formula. He had grown up so much since then, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Sometimes when she was around Carl she thought of Andre, how he would be if he were still alive. She liked to think that he would have been as good as Carl.

"I'm coming with you."

Carl's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was reaching for his gun. She wasn't sure if it was the best idea for him to go out there with her with all the walkers on their way here but she knew that Rick needed to see him.

"I'm going too. You're gonna need as much help as you can get when the herd gets here."

She saw in Carol's expression that there was no bargaining with her to stay.

"What about Judith?" They three of them looked at each other none of them willing to stay behind.

"I can watch her."

Michonne turned to Jessie who had entered the room. She felt a little uneasy leaving Judith with her, knowing her as little as she did.

"Are you sure you can protect her?"

Jessie looked down at the blood all over her clothes then back up at Michonne.

"I think I have demonstrated my ability to defend, besides we have a gun."

Michonne sighed and turned to look at Carl. He nodded and started for the door. Before closing the door behind her Michonne turned back to Jessie, "Do not leave this house. If you hear anything you go upstairs and lock yourselves in a room." With that, Michonne, Carl, and Carol headed out to find Rick and get ready to defend Alexandria.

As they walked toward the houses that Rick was searching, they heard the loud groaning coming from the exterior wall. Maggie came running from the front gate, "THEY'RE HERE!"

Michonne was relieved to see Maggie but her mind instantly went to Glenn. She didn't know where he was or if he was even alive. Maggie stopped when she got to them, gasping for breath.

"There's an entire herd outside the gate. They're gonna knock down the wall!"

Carol grabbed Maggie's arm, "We need to check out some guns."

Maggie and Carol went off to the pantry, while Michonne and Carl continued down the street.

"You said my dad had a breakdown?"

She looked over at Carl who had a worried look on his face. He almost looked scared.

"He was in shock mostly, one of those guys that attacked Alexandria attacked him too. Your dad killed him but he found a jar of baby food in the guys pocket."

"Oh…they must have gotten into the house after we left."

"Yeah, you can imagine what was going through your dad's mind when he found that baby food. Then when we got to the house and it was empty."

Carl was staring at the ground as they walked, "We snuck out the back went to Jessie and Ron's, figured there was safety in numbers ya know?"

"That's smart but it was risky leaving the house."

"CARL…CARL!"

They both turned around to see Rick running down the street toward them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Rick was running toward Carl and Michonne. Once he got to them he pulled Carl into a tight hug almost lifting him off the ground. Seeing them reunited made Michonne's heart swell with emotion. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She had seen so much more emotion from Rick in the past day than she had ever seen from him. She had always loved Rick as a close friend and partner but the events of the last several hours had shown her a different side of him that made her question her feelings. She saw a man that loved his children more than himself or anything else and would do anything to protect them. She saw a man that wanted to do the right thing and be a good leader for his friends and family.

Seeing him break made her realize just how much pressure he had been under since this all started and she wanted to do everything she could to take some of that weight off his shoulders.

Rick put his hands on Carl's shoulders and pushed him away, his eyes searching him for injuries.

"You're okay? You're not hurt?"

Carl looked up at Rick, "I'm fine dad. Judith is fine. We're okay."

"Oh thank god."

Michonne thought Carl looked like such a kid as he looked up at his dad.

Rick went back in for a tight hug and Carl reciprocated.

"I love you son."

"Love you too, Dad."

Their reunion was interrupted by a scream from down the street. They all turned toward the scream that was coming from an Alexandrian. "THE WALL IS MOVING." Rick ran over to see a couple of the wall panels being shaken forcefully by the walkers outside. He heard Michonne and Carl come up behind them.

"Will it hold?"

"I don't know Carl, but we need to figure out a way to reinforce the wall."

Michonne started to walk away when Rick stopped her, "Where are you going?"

"We are gonna need help."

A look of uncertainty spread across Ricks face at the idea of Michonne running off when Alexandria was under such a big threat but he knew she was right; they would need more people to fix the wall.

"Be careful."

"Always," with a smile and a nod she left them to brainstorm.

Carl started pacing up and down the section of the wall that was unstable.

Rick watched Carl and realized just how much his son had grown. He was smart, responsible, and quick on his feet. He felt guilty for not having more faith in his son's ability to protect his sister and himself.

Just as Rick was joining Carl next to the fence he heard it crack. He looked at Carl who was facing him with a worried face, "What was that?"

Carl walked back down the side of the fence then waved his dad over to him. Rick stood next to Carl to see a long crack in the wall where two panels had separated.

/

Michonne had been to several houses and had yet to find anybody. She was beginning to wonder just how many people had been killed by the unknown attackers. She finally reached Deanna's house to find her and Spencer in the kitchen.

They turned to see her walk in the door, "Michonne?"

"The walls are budging. Two panels on the North side are pretty unstable. Rick and Carl are there now keeping an eye on it and trying to figure out a way to secure it." Deanna reached over the table to grab a roll of paper. Spencer and Michonne followed her to the island where she unrolled it to reveal blue prints of Alexandria.

"Which area?"

Michonne pointed to the panels on the map then looked at Deanna.

Deanna was quiet for a moment then looked up, "There are a few extra support beams toward the empty lot on the South side. We could use those to create more support on the interior but it is gonna take a lot of man power to move those polls and that's a long way to carry them."

Michonne looked from Deanna to Spencer then back at the blue print.

"It's a start. Get as many people as you can and meet me there."

/

Michonne and a group Alexandrians flanked each side of the pole lying on the ground. Together they successfully lifted the pole off the ground and began to move. They were about half way to Rick and Carl when the guy in front suddenly let go causing the end of the pole to hit the ground. Michonne was about to ask him what he was doing when she heard the groaning. She turned to her right to see walkers coming straight toward them from in between the houses.

 **Chapter 9 soon…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Michonne stood frozen, staring at the oncoming group of walkers. How did they get in here so fast? Had she been gone that long? Where are Rick and Carl? A gunshot snapped her out of her stair as she turned to see Spencer and the other Alexandrians getting ready to fight the walkers. She reached behind her and grabbed hold of her katana. As she pulled it out from behind her she noticed more walkers coming from the top of the street; they were everywhere. She charged forward into the walkers and started swinging.

/

She didn't know how long they had been at it; it felt like ages. The arm that held her katana was growing so tired she could barely lift it. She had seen three Alexandrians get bitten and one retreat into a house. She could just make out Deanna fighting her way through the crowd swinging a knife and pushing it into a walker's head. Suddenly she felt something grab her by the shoulder and pull her back making her fall to the ground. She landed on her left shoulder and immediately felt the pain shoot through her arm and chest. From the ground she looked up to see several walkers looking down at her. Reaching for the gun at her right hip, she attempted to release it from the holster. Her fingers struggled with the clasp as she kicked at the walkers above her. She managed to kick one hard enough to knock it back into another walker as they both fell to the ground. The clasp finally snapping open, she got a hold of the handgun and pulled it out. As she cocked it, a walker on the ground to her left grabbed her injured arm making her scream out in pain.

Suddenly she heard a loud shot and looked up to see Spencer standing over her aiming at the walker on the ground next to her. He turned to her and reached out a hand, "COME ON!"

Michonne reached for his hand with her good arm and he pulled her up. He picked up her katana and together than ran from the herd. They ran into a nearby house and closed the door behind them.

"There's too many, we'll never make it out."

Michonne hunched over trying to catch her breath. She tried to move her left arm with little success. The pain was excruciating.

Spencer saw her wincing as she held her left shoulder.

"It's probably dislocated. Let me help you.."

"NO! We need to get back out there, find the others."

"If we don't fix it, it will only make it worse."

"This is gonna hurt," he said as he positioned her arm to pop it back in place.

"Just do it."

Suddenly she felt the pain shoot through her body then, just as fast, it was gone.

"Don't move it."

Spencer ran into the kitchen and returned with a towel that he was ripping into long strips.

"You're gonna need to take that off," he said looking at sheath for her katana.

She reached across her chest and pulled the sheath over her head.

Spencer started wrapping the towel strips around her to fasten a sling for her left arm.

When he finished he turned and started down the hall, "I'm gonna see if there are any weapons left in this house."

"Hey!"

He turned back to face her.

"Thanks."

He grinned and continued down the hall.

Michonne wandered into the kitchen looking for any kind of medicine she could find. She could still hear the herd outside along with a gunshot coming from a few streets over. She wondered if that was Rick's gun.

She found a bottle of Tylenol in a cabinet and swallowed a few pills just as Spencer walked in carrying a shotgun, "You ready?"

Michonne put her hand on her gun at her hip and looked at him, "Let's go."

/

Michonne and Spencer had been fighting through the walkers, along with Deanna for what seemed like hours. They were making their way toward Jessie's house where Judith was hopefully still being watched. Her left arm was in pain along with every other part of her exhausted body. By the time they made it to Jessie's house she felt like she was going to collapse. They had run out of bullets a while ago and had been forced to fight with only their knives. As they opened the door and walked in, Jessie came down the stairs with Judith in her arms followed by Ron.

Michonne sat down on a stool in the kitchen and laid her hand on the counter. She looked down and noticed that her hand was shaking, still tightly gripping her knife. She tried to loosen her grip but found it difficult.

Jessie came into the kitchen and sat down. Michonne felt a little weird being in a room alone with her. She knew that Jessie and Rick had been spending time together but she didn't know if there was anything going on between them. They had a lot in common. They are both single parents with sons about the same age. She found it odd that they were still friends after what Rick did to her husband. She was annoyed at the pettiness of her jealousy. She was not that kind of person and it was stupid to be jealous over a guy in their current circumstance.

Jessie cleared her throat, "How many do you think are out there?"

Michonne could tell by the look on Jessie's face that she was scared.

"Not as many as there were." She could see that didn't make Jessie feel any better.

"Rick and the rest of us are going to keep fighting until we clear this place of walkers."

Michonne heard yelling coming from outside and walked to the window overlooking the front yard and street. She couldn't make out any faces among the walkers but she heard the familiar voices, "DAD!"

"CARL, FIND HIGHER GROUND!"

Michonne ran out the front door and called to them from the porch, "IN HERE!"

She saw Carl emerge from the herd stabbing as he went, closely followed by Rick and Carol. They ran up the front steps and through the door, Michonne closing it behind them. As they all stood in the entrance catching their breath, she noticed Rick's head was bleeding pretty badly. He was looking at her too.

"It's just a scratch," he said with a slight grin.

"It better be," she smiled back.

/

The group had decided to hold up in Jessie's house for the night to rest. They were all exhausted and would need to regain some strength if they were going to keep fighting. Everyone else had found places to sleep around the house leaving Michonne and Rick in the main living room. Neither of them would be able to sleep tonight, not with the herd still outside.

Michonne was squirming in her makeshift sling trying to shift to a more comfortable place. She gave up and decided to take it off. She could feel Rick watching her from his chair.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's not too bad right now, more of an ache."

He nodded, "I dislocated my shoulder once in high school, hurt like hell."

A moment of silence passed before Michonne spoke.

"What about you? Does your 'scratch' hurt?"

He smiled at her emphasis on scratch.

"It stings a bit."

She got up and walked to the kitchen. He heard the faucet turn on then off. Michonne returned with a damp cloth in her hand, "Let me look at it."

He groaned as he lifted himself out of his chair. They both walked toward the floor lamp, the only light that was on in the house because it could not be seen from outside.

She stood facing him under the light, reaching to wipe the hair from his forehead. Once again she found herself thinking about how weird it felt to touch him because she did so rarely. She wondered if not touching each other had been a subconscious way to avoid their feelings for one another. She could feel his breath as she moved his hair to place the cloth on the scratch. Her heart was beating so fast she hoped he couldn't tell. She dabbed at the cut attempting to clean it but found it hard to concentrate. She felt his fingers touch her elbow. Up until this point she had been trying to avoid his eyes but she couldn't any longer. He was looking directly into her eyes in a way that made her heart stop. As she lowered her hand, his lingered on her shoulder. She couldn't believe this was happening. She thought for sure they would go on ignoring everything but he seemed to have other ideas in mind. His confidence in this moment made her even more terrified. There was a slight hitch in his breath as she dropped the cloth in her hand. He moved his hand again until it touched her cheek so lightly she could hardly feel it. They both had started moving closer together without noticing until they were inches apart.

This was it, she thought; this was the moment that would change everything. He took one final step closer until his lips were suddenly on hers. Both his hands were now cradling her face as he deepened the kiss while her hand tugged at the back of his shirt. Her heart continued to race but now she could feel his beating just as fast. Their bodies were completely pressed together as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth.

They were quickly interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs. They pulled apart and took several steps away from each other as Carl walked into the room, "I can't sleep." He sat down on the couch completely oblivious to what he interrupted. Michonne and Rick sat down on opposite ends to the room. Carl leaned back in his seat and propped his feet on the coffee table. "I'm exhausted," he said as he laid his head back and closed his eyes.

Michonne looked back up at Rick who was watching her with an intense gaze, "I think we all are."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Michonne had gone upstairs to be alone. She needed time to herself to process what just happened. She could still hear the muffled sounds of Rick and Carl's voices coming from the living room. They were talking strategy for tomorrow when she left but she could feel Rick's eyes on her back.

Walking into a bathroom, Michonne locked the door behind her and stood at the sink with her hands gripping the sides of the counter. Her heart was pounded rapidly as the events of the night played through her mind. Had that really happened? What does this mean? What happens now? What if it's awkward between them now? Every possible outcome flashed before her. She could see herself falling in love with him and that scared her. Love in the apocalypse? Doomed.

She didn't know what was going to happen but she didn't have to worry about it for a little while. It was still pitch black outside which meant there were at least a couple hours till dawn. She grabbed some towels from under the sink and laid them in the bathtub. This would be a good enough spot to spend the night; all the beds were taken anyways.

Michonne drifted in and out of sleep for a little while finally startled awake by a couple quick taps on the door.

"Michonne, you in there?"

Her heart once again pounded, here we go, she thought.

Rick was quiet for a moment as she lifted herself out of the tub.

"Can I come in?"

With a quick glance in the mirror, she went to unlock the door then returned to sit at the edge of the tub.

The doorknob turned and then he entered.

Rick slowly closed the door behind trying to be as quiet as possible to not wake anyone. He leaned against the counter, facing Michonne but didn't speak. Neither of them really knew what to say but both felt the weight of the situation.

Rick began to clear his throat and shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "Carl fell asleep."

She could hear the fear in his voice; he was nervous too. She thought about how trivial this was compared to the threat outside and she let out a small laugh.

"What?" Rick's surprised tone made her look up.

He had a very confused and almost hurt expression on his face as he looked at her with furrowed brows.

"What are we doing? There is literally an army of walkers outside waiting for us to walk out that door and we are acting like a couple of teenagers."

A small grin spread across Rick's face as he too exhaled in laughter.

"Well when you put it that way…"

A look passed between them that put them both at ease.

The sun was starting to rise bringing with it the tension of the coming day.

Michonne started to feel better about her and Rick. If nothing else, they would always be friends, she was confident enough in their relationship to know that.

She stood up, taking a few steps to close the gap between them and put her arms around his neck in a tight hug. His arms wrapped around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She knew he was tired, so was she, but they had a lot of work to do today. With an even stronger bond between them they walked out of the bathroom ready to keep fighting.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The group had been fighting through the herd for hours. The optimism Michonne felt this morning after her conversation with Rick had faded along with her energy. Her shoulder was aching worse than yesterday and they still had a ton of walkers to fight off. She looked over at Rick who was trying to herd a group of walkers in another direction away from some Alexandrians who were outnumbered when all the sudden she heard a voice in the distance. They all turned searching for the person yelling, then she spotted him; Daryl was standing on the perch by the front gate about ten feet above the herd. "OVER HERE!"

Michonne could hear an engine revving from the other side of the gate accompanied by Abraham's voice, "THIS WAY ASSHOLES"

Half the herd started moving in the other direction while Rick and the others kept fighting their half.

/

The following hours saw more fighting until the herd was no longer a threat. Now that it was safe enough for everyone to back to their homes, Rick, Carl, and Michonne took Judith back to their house. After she put Judith in her crib upstairs, Michonne went downstairs to join Rick and Carl who were sitting at the kitchen table in silence, too exhausted to even talk. As she walked into the kitchen she grabbed some snacks from the cabinet and set them on the table.

Carl shifted in his seat so he could lay his head on the back of the chair, "I don't even remember the last time I ate but I'm so tired I'm not even hungry."

As soon as she sat down she could feel herself drifting off, "You know what, I'm going to bed."

As tired as she was, she also just needed some time alone. She grabbed a pack of crackers off the table and headed upstairs.

/

Rick and Carl had both drifted off a while ago when they were woken up by Daryl's bike outside. They both sat up in their chairs as Rick reached for the cookies on the table. Carl listened to Daryl park his bike and climb the steps up the porch until he opened the door. They both turned as Daryl stepped into the kitchen and took the seat Michonne had left. "Man, I don't know about y'all but I could sleep for a week," he said as he grabbed a jar of peanut butter, "I could also eat a horse." Daryl started dipping crackers into the peanut butter when he turned to Rick with a full mouth, "Where's Michonne?"

"She went to bed already."

Carl had this feeling all day that he had interrupted something last night between Michonne and his dad. He always thought there was something different about their relationship. They both acted kind of strange when he walked into the living room last night and then she immediately left. Maybe it was because he was tired or because he knew his dad would never talk about it voluntarily but he decided to ask, "Is there something happening with you guys?

Rick was shocked by Carl's question. He didn't think that Carl had noticed anything last night. He didn't know what to say because he wasn't sure what was actually happening between himself and Michonne. He replayed the events of last night in his mind, the kiss, then the talk in the bathroom. Something definitely happened but he wasn't sure how to explain it to his son so he decided to just tell the truth.

"Yes."

He looked up to see Carl's smirk and Daryl's raised eyebrows.

"RICK GRIMES, YOU SLY DOG"

Rick felt the blood rush to his cheeks, "Alright, shut up"

Carl was trying not to laugh but he had never seen his dad embarrassed before.

"I'm happy for you dad."

Rick gave him a look of appreciation, "Thanks, but I don't know what's gonna happen."

"Well you know how I feel about her either as a friend or a stepmom."

Daryl let out a stifled laugh as he tried to cover his mouth.

"Okay now you're just being mean."

They all went back to their snacks as Rick's thoughts focused on Michonne.

The more he thought of her the more he realized that he was happier last night than he had been in a very long time. It really did make a big difference when you had somebody, the world didn't seem quite as threatening. Michonne was his best friend as childish as that sounded. He trusted her with his life and his children's' lives and nothing meant more to him than that in this world. All the signs seemed to point to her but what if she didn't feel the same; after all, he was the one that kissed her and she kind of brushed off the topic in the bathroom. Now that the herd is has been taken care of they would have less to distract them. They would have to really talk about it sooner or later. All of the sudden he felt Carl and Daryl's eyes on him. He looked up to see both of them smiling.

"Do you love her?"

Carl was asking all the questions tonight, he thought. The moment in the RV a couple days ago flashed in his mind, the moment of comfort and solace he shared with Michonne. Once again he didn't know what to say but his face must have given him away because Carl and Daryl both looked at each other and let out a collective "mmhmm."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Michonne had fallen asleep as soon as she lied down, only to be woken up a while later by Daryl's motorcycle pulling up to the house. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She could feel the aches all over her body, especially in her shoulder. She thought about asking Denise for advice on how to take care of it later today. She reluctantly got out of bed and stretched as much as she could. Heading down the hall to check on Judith she heard Daryl, "RICK GRIMES YOU SLY DOG!"

Surprised to hear Daryl so jovial and intrigued by the conversation she started down the stairs when she heard Carl's voice, "I'm happy for you dad."

She stopped before turning the corner curious about what they were talking about but not wanting to interrupt.

Rick spoke over the crinkling of paper from the snacks they were eating.

"Thanks, but I don't know what's gonna to happen."

What on earth were they talking about. Michonne took a step back and sat down on the second to last step on the stairs. She could hear them clearly.

She heard Carl again, "Well you know how I feel about her, either as a friend or a stepmom."

She then heard a stifled laugh she figured was Daryl's. She hadn't heard him laugh in a very long time. It was nice.

"Okay now you're just being mean." She couldn't see Rick but she could hear the joy in his voice. She could see his face in her mind so clearly, that rare smile spreading from cheek to cheek. All of the sudden she found herself wondering what he was like before the apocalypse. Did he smile more? Was he happy? None of them talked too much about their past, including Rick.

They fell silent for a few moments, the mood slightly shifting. She thought they might have been talking about her but she didn't want to presume. She started to get up from the step when Carl spoke again in an honest tone, "Do you love her?"

Michonne froze. They had to be talking about her. Who else would they be talking about? Jessie? She tried to be as still as possible waiting for Rick's response. A few seconds went by…nothing. Her heart began to sink when she heard Daryl and Carl, "mmhmm."

What did he say? Did she miss it? Did he say yes? She wanted so badly to barge in and ask but she heard someone scoot their chair back to get up. Rick spoke in a soft but serious tone, "Let's keep this between us, okay?"

Carl responded with a "Fine" while Daryl opted for a "Sure thing, boss."

So, he wanted to keep them a secret but he was comfortable enough to tell Carl and Daryl? What did Rick do to make them both respond with an "mmhmm"? Suddenly she heard Rick again, "See y'all in the morning." Oh god! He was coming this way! She turned and climbed up the stairs as fast as she could without making noise. Running back to her room she closed the door slowly and stood still as she heard Rick begin to walk up the stairs with Carl close behind him. They started to go their separate ways at the top of the stairs when she heard Carl, "Hey dad…"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I'm okay with it… if something more does happen…She's one of us."

Rick took a second before responding, "She is, isn't she?"

"Night dad."

"Goodnight."

The next thing she heard was Carl closing his door.

She couldn't believe this was happening, a few days ago her and Rick were friends, now…something else…more.

She went back to her bed and lied down. Staring at the ceiling she wondered what Rick did to make them think he loved her. Rick loved her, her breathing started to quicken. _He_ loved _her_. She had to sit up. How would she face him tomorrow knowing this? He doesn't know she knows. Did _she_ love _him_? She couldn't fool herself; of course she loved him. She had loved him for a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Michonne could feel the sun on her face as she opened her eyes. She rolled over and stretched her arms and legs then relaxed again. As she lay there she stared at the pattern on the ceiling from the sun coming through the curtains. It felt like forever since she had a good night's sleep and could wake up without urgency. She could hear the faint voices of some Alexandrians coming from outside.

She made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for the day, a luxury that being in Alexandria afforded her. Walking down the stairs she noticed how quiet the house was. Everyone must have already left. She was surprised everyone was up so early, especially Carl, but thankful that she wouldn't have to face Rick yet. She grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap. She could still feel the tension in her left shoulder. She walked over to stand at the window sipping her water.

She could see Maggie, Tara, Daryl, and some other Alexandrians moving walker remains from the streets. Despite the fact that they were dragging smelly remains around, it looked like a community again. People were outside in the sun talking with one another and working together.

Michonne spotted Denise bringing water out to people and remembered that she wanted to talk to her about her shoulder. She put her glass in the sink and went back up stairs to grab Judith before heading out the door.

/

Rick had been working on the gate since he woke up at dawn. He spent most of the morning pacing up and down the walls thinking while he waited for the others to wake up. He kept having flashes of the late night conversation he had with Daryl and Carl. Had he really convinced them that he was in love with Michonne? They weren't even dating yet. Would they date? You can't exactly make reservations somewhere or go to a movie during the apocalypse. He could feel the slight anxiety beginning to make his heart beat faster when suddenly Carl walked up.

"Hey, how long you been out here?"

"A while. You're up early for you."

"Daryl woke me up with his annoyingly loud bike. He told me to tell you he was going hunting but he would be back soon to help."

Rick thought it was an odd time for Daryl to leave but then again he never new what was going on with Daryl. His attention went back to the huge gap in the wall where a couple panels were knocked down. He turned back to Carl, "You got any ideas?"

"Can't we just put it back together the same way? I mean what are the odds there's another mega herd close by?"

"I'd say they're pretty slim but I don't want to risk anything like this happening again. We need to make this place more secure."

"Okay well how do we do that?"

Rick had come up with several ideas while pacing back and forth but none that were very practical. One involved putting the panels back up and then parking the 18-wheeler that crashed into the tower against the inside.

"I've got some ideas. We'll talk about them at the meeting tonight."

"Am I invited?"

"I was thinking you would watch Judith." He hated that he always asked this of his son. Carl was basically Judith's mother and father but he never complained.

"Okay, but you have to fill me in after."

Rick smirked at Carl's desire to be involved with decisions. He was proud of how much he had matured since the prison, since Judy really. He was such a good brother. Lori would be so proud.

"Deal." He held out his hand and watched the smile spread across Carl's face as they shook on it.

/

Michonne walked out of Denise's office with Judith in her right hand and her prescribed drugs in the left. She turned to go back to the house and almost dropped her pills as she bumped into Rick.

"Hey… it's both my girls!"

She could see the look of fear flash across Rick's face as he realized what he just said. She decided to help him out and ignore it, "Well this girl just got some nice pain killers." She held up her bottle of pills.

He looked at the bottle then back at her, "Your shoulder?"

"Yeah, still kinda aches."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's more of an annoying pain. I'm still useful."

"I can see that", He looked at Judith who was playing with one of Michonne's dreads.

They both smiled as they looked at her. Rick reached out his hands to take Judith.

"Let me relieve you from your post."

"Thanks but I'm always happy to watch her." Michonne had grown to love Judith as if she were her own, Carl too.

Rick smiled at Michonne, "I know, it means a lot."

They were so focused on each other that they didn't even notice Daryl walk up until he cleared his throat very excessively. They both turn to see him looking back and forth between them with a smirk, "Sorry to interrupt a moment but Deanna's looking for you two."

Rick could feel the blush rushing to his cheeks, "She probably wants to talk about the meeting tonight. Can you take her?" Daryl reached for out his hands to take Judith, "Hey lil' ass-kicker."

Michonne gave Daryl a look of disapproval, "Maybe you shouldn't call her that anymore, we don't want her first words to be ass-kicker."

"Whatever, _mom_."

/

Michonne and Rick walked out of Deanna's house after the meeting. It was almost pitch black outside. The meeting had lasted a long time but they discussed a lot of options ultimately deciding on the parking the truck behind the walls to create more security. They walked back to the house in mostly silence until Michonne stopped when they reached their yard.

She wasn't altogether sure about this plan, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Rick hesitated, "Well it might not be the best solution but it doesn't come without other benefits. We can put more people on top of the truck and use it as another lookout."

He could tell Michonne still wasn't convinced. He turned to face her, "Look, it's a quick fix, we'll keep thinking of other options but we need to do something now."

He saw her shoulders relax a little as she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, makes since. It's just, if this place is going to last we are going to need to make it as safe as possible. Not just from walkers. I still believe in this place."

Rick placed his hand on her shoulder to reassure her, "I do too and it will. Trust me."

Michonne exhaled, "Trusting you is not the problem. I trust you with my life."

Rick felt his chest tighten in response. She stood there looking at him with the most sincere look on her face. He didn't know what to say, "Michonne…"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up the steps and through the front door checking to see if anyone was awake. All the lights were off and Carl's door was closed. She pulled him into the kitchen and stopped abruptly turning to face him, "We need to talk about this. We have ignored it all day."

Rick was frozen in fear. This was the conversation he was anxiously waiting for. He swallowed, placing his hand on the counter to steady himself.

"Look, I know I've made things weird between us and I'm sorry for that but I don't regret any of it." He slowly lifted his head to see her face. It was unreadable.

She took a step forward and he jolted backwards.

"Rick…"

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way or you don't want to mess up the relationship we have now. I completely understand. We…" He was suddenly cut off by Michonne's lips on his. Her hands were in his hair as the force of the kiss pushed him against the counter. She grabbed his curls as she deepened the kiss. He placed one hand on her back and the other on her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. She moved in closer, pressing their bodies further together. Rick turned them, in response, so that she was against the counter.

Michonne pulled away placing her hands on his face to look in his eyes, "Does that answer your question?"

Rick cleared his throat and licked his lips, "Kinda."

Michonne raised her brows, "Kinda?"

She turned and took a few steps away from him letting a moment pass before she spoke. "I heard you guys last night," she said still facing the opposite direction.

Rick immediately knew what she meant. He exhaled slowly and looked up at her, "If that's too much for you…we can slow it down…"

He forgot what he was going to say as she turned back to face him, "I love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

**Surprise! I didn't know if I was going to continue this story but inspiration struck and this is what came of it! Hope you like it!**

 **Chapter 14**

It had been several weeks since Michonne and Rick had officially become a couple. Alexandria was coming back stronger than ever with the Alexandrians now taking initiative to protect their home. Their little society had continued like nothing happened, including Rick and Michonne. No one had been surprised when they got together, except themselves. Michonne recalled a specific conversation they had about how neither one of them ever thought the other would follow through with their undeniable connection. Rick had cracked a joke about them eventually being common law married and raising kids together without ever getting together. Part of her thought she would have been okay with that life but now that they had become more there was no going back. The two of them had become inseparable. They tried to keep affection to a minimum in public since they were the new leaders of Alexandria but when they were inside their house they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. There had been some awkward moments with Carl but nothing too scarring. He was pretty mature about giving them privacy and not making the situation uncomfortable.

Michonne had come to rely on Rick on a deeply emotional level she never thought possible before. They would lie awake at night and talk about their pasts that still haunted them or their fears for the future. Rick knew more about Michonne than most of her friends and family did before the apocalypse. She could talk to him about Mike and he would talk about Lori sometimes. It was nice to finally be able to let her thoughts out after holding them in for so long. In some ways it felt like they had been together all along because their relationship was already in such a mature and developed state. She had gotten to know a different side of Rick that she never would have guessed. He had a bit of a romantic side. One morning she woke up to the smell of honeysuckle and when she opened her eyes there was a bundle of honeysuckle blossoms tied together on her nightstand. He attempted to cook dinner one night to very little success but the evening was still one of the best she has had in a very long time. Rick had been smiling a lot more recently and getting along better with the Alexandrians. She felt that he was really starting to see a future for this place.

Michonne woke before the sun and rolled out of bed. Today she was taking Carl with her on their weekly scavenging trips outside the walls. It took some convincing but she had managed to get Rick to agree to let Carl go with her. It allowed Carl and Michonne the chance to spend time together without Rick. They hadn't really discussed their relationship with Carl but they didn't think it was necessary since they have been living together the past several months.

She lightly tapped on Carl's door before pushing it open slowly. He was already awake and ready, tying his boots as he sat at the foot of his bed. He finished and stood up as she walked in,

"I'm ready. Let's do this."

"Okay. Let's go."

They reached a couple miles out from the walls before deciding to stop at an old farming supply store. She knocked on the glass door a few times testing to see if there were any walkers inside. After a few moments they went inside. Michonne wandered up and down the aisles looking for anything that could be useful. She walked past the fertilizer and the mulch and turned to go down the next aisle. On the middle shelf was a label for dog food but the shelf was empty. She took a few more steps and stubbed her toe on something. She looked down to see a single bag of dog food on the floor just as Carl walked up. He saw her looking at the bag on the floor, "Are we getting a dog?"

"I always wanted a dog but I was always too busy to take care of one."

"We had one for a while when I was a kid but it ran away. Didn't like me much anyways."

Michonne reached to pick up the bag and threw it in the cart a couple feet away. She turned to Carl who was looking at her with his brows raised in confusion.

"Are we taking that?"

Michonne smiled, "I think it's time we get a dog."

"I'm all for getting a pet but in case you haven't noticed there are no more pet stores and I think the shelter is closed."

"Okay smartass. How many dogs have we seen out and about? We just saw one by the dumpster on the way here."

"You're going to tame a wild dog?"

Michonne exhaled with a shrug, "Can't be that hard."

"Good luck. Dad would never let me get another dog no matter how many times I asked every year for Christmas and birthdays."

Michonne smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I think I might be able to persuade him."

Carl shrugged off her hand, "Ew, gross."

"That's not what I meant…perv."

They split up, Carl moving on to the auto shop next door while Michonne looked through the stock room of the supply store. Most of the store had been picked over but there were still random items left behind they might be able to use. She bent over to pick up a hatchet when she heard gunshots from next door. She ran out the door and through the garage calling Carl's name. She didn't see him and he was not responding. She started to panic. She heard the faint groans of a zombie coming from a few yards away. She search through the garage and found nothing. She made her way into the offices and the groaning got louder. She went into one office and found nothing. She crossed the small hallway and entered the next office…nothing. When she walked out the door of the second office she spotted and foot hanging out of the next office doorway. Her breathing stopped as her mind jumped to the worst conclusion. She grabbed her sword and held it in front of her. She turned the corner inside the office and looked down. A walker was squirming on the floor with a bullet hole in the side of its cheek. She stuck her sword in its head when she heard a whisper, "Michonne."

She walking around the large desk to find Carl sitting against the wall, the side of his face covered in blood. She sheathed her sword and squatted down next to him, "Oh god! What happened?!"

Carl moaned incoherent sounds on the verge of unconsciousness.

"Hold on Carl. We have to get you out of here." She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and lifted him up. She got him to the tow truck in the garage and laid him down in the passenger seat. She ran back into the office and grabbed the keys from the board and climbed into the driver's seat.

They drove up to the gate of Alexandria and she tapped the horn drawing Tara's attention from the perch. Michonne rolled down the window and stuck her head out, "Open the gate!" She drove straight through the entrance and right up to Denise's front door. As she climbed out of the truck Denise came running outside and opened the passenger door, "What happened?" Denise and Michonne carried Carl inside and placed him on the table. Carl had slipped into unconsciousness on the drive back. Looking at him lying on the table Michonne couldn't help but start to cry. She had kept her emotions in check in the panic of getting him back but now she was left with nothing to do but realize the situation. Denise immediately started working away, having gotten over her initial fear of being the town doctor. Michonne could tell she was in Denise's way so she backed away several steps until she was against the wall. She stood there and watched as Denise tended to Carl's head. Michonne didn't get a good look at the actual wound because of all the blood covering his face. She kept playing the moment she heard the gunshots and the moment she found him sitting on the floor over and over in her head. A feeling from her past that she never wanted to feel again was creeping back up. She was terrified of losing another son. Denise walked over to Michonne and kneeled down in front of her. "Did you see what happened?"

Without looking up Michonne nodded no.

She heard Denise sigh, "Carl has slipped into a coma. He has a gunshot wound on the side of his head pretty close to his right eye. We won't know until he wakes up what the full damage is."

"I have to tell Rick."

"He's not here."

Michonne looked up to see Denise looking back at her with smeared blood on her forehead. "What?"

"He went hunting with Daryl. He left right after you and Carl did. He thought he would be back before you."

Michonne felt numb. Carl was laying ten feet away from her in a coma with a gunshot wound to the head…and Rick wasn't here.

Denise placed her hand on Michonne's, "Carl will wake up. He's young, he'll be able to fight it." With a couple pats she let go of Michonne's hand and went to her desk to search through her medical books.

Michonne wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when Rick ran through the door but it had felt like an eternity. He ran to the table and froze next to his son's side. Denise stood across from him and explained what was happening and told him she was very optimistic about Carl regaining consciousness. Michonne was afraid to look at Rick. She knew the second he looked at her she would break. She was still sitting on the floor against the wall with her head on her knees and her arms tightly wrapped around them. She wanted to make herself as small as she felt. She heard the footsteps before she felt him slide down next to her. Without speaking he put his arm around her. They sat that way for a longtime waiting for Carl to wake up. It was dark out when Michonne finally lifted her head. She didn't see Denise but Carl was lying on the table in the same position with a large white bandage wrapped around his head that covered his right eye. The sight of him lying there, helpless and in a coma hit her hard. She turned and wrapped her arms around Rick's torso and buried her face in his neck as the tears began to fall. He wrapped his other arm around her and held her tight as he whispered to her, "It's not your fault."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

It had been a day and a half since Carl slipped into a coma. Michonne and Rick had been basically living in the infirmary taking shifts sitting with Carl, talking to him, trying to get him to wake up. Michonne found it hard not to blame herself. Every time she was left alone with Carl she started to cry as the events of the past couple days played through her mind. Everything had been going great before Carl got hurt. It's like the universe couldn't allow them to be happy. Her and Rick hadn't spoken much since he came back. They sat together next to Carl sometimes but it was usually in silence. She wondered if he blamed her at all for what happened. She remembered how she blamed Mike for letting Andre get killed. She eventually forgave him but it took a long time and she was scared to death that Rick would feel the same way. Every time he entered the room she held her breath waiting for him to speak up but he hadn't yet. She knew it was stupid to feel this way after he told her it wasn't her fault when he first saw her in the infirmary on the floor but this was a specifically hard situation for her because of how Andre died.

Denise was still optimistic about Carl's recovery. She had tried to convince both Rick and Michonne to get some rest while she looked after Carl but neither one of them wanted to leave Carl's side in case he woke up. The rest of the group had been in and out of the infirmary to check on Carl and offer to help Rick and Michonne with anything they might need. Maggie had brought them some food and Glenn and Daryl sat with Michonne for a little while last night while Rick was with Carl. There was a heaviness and a silence amongst the group since Carl's accident. Michonne figured that no one knew how to deal with it or what to say. They had all watched Carl grow up and cared for him deeply.

It had gotten dark out since Michonne had gone back to the house to take a quick shower and grab some fresh clothes for Rick. When she walked into the infirmary Denise looked up from her books. The door was still closed to the room where Rick was sitting with Carl.

"Has he come out at all?"

"Not since lunch. I heard him talking to Carl a little while ago."

Michonne nodded as she turned from Denise to look back at the door. Michonne was tired of the silence. With Rick's clothes in her hand she walked toward the door and quietly turned the knob. Rick was standing behind his chair, hunched over with his hands gripping the back of it and his head hung low. She was setting the stack of clothes on the bench by the door when she heard him sniffle. She was reminded of the Rick she found in the RV when he was afraid that Alexandria had been taken and possibly Carl and Judith with it. He had sat with his head hung in silence then as well. She was realizing this was how Rick dealt with grief. It wasn't because he was mad at her; he just had a tendency to shut down when he was scared. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach, resting her head on his back. She felt him breathe out as his shoulders fell. He wrapped his arms around hers and held her hands tight against his stomach. Rick's obvious comfort at her touch made her relax as well. They had stood like that for a while, taking comfort in each other's arms when she felt Rick pull her hand toward his mouth to kiss it before turning around to face her. He held her hands together at his chest and looked at her like a broken man. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and his eyes were a little pink from crying. He looked into her eyes as he began to speak.

"I don't think I'll survive if he doesn't come back."

Hearing him say that broke her heart. She broke her hands free from his grasp to hold his face.

"You don't have to worry about that because Carl is going to wake up, you hear me?" She looked deeply into his eyes trying to make him see how much she believed her words to be true. She did believe Carl would wake up but she didn't know what condition he would be in when he did.

"You have me…and Judith…and everyone else out there that loves you and we are going to help you get through this until Carl wakes up because _he will wake up_." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pressed his lips lightly against her neck.

"I love you, Michonne."

She smiled for the first time in two days.

"I love you too."

A moment later there was a soft tap on the door as Denise peaked in. "Do you mind if I check on Carl for a few minutes?" Rick cleared his throat as he ran his hands through his hair. "We'll just be right outside." Michonne grabbed his hand and the pile of clothes by the door as she directed Rick out of the room, across the hall, and into the bathroom in the back, closing the door behind them. He had a confused look on his face. "What are we doing?"

She looked him up and down. " _We_ are getting you cleaned up. You stink and you still have dirt on your face from your hunting trip." Before he could protest she interrupted. "Carl will be fine with Denise for a few minutes. Besides, she can do more for him right now than either of us can. Now take off your shirt." He looked at her with what she guessed was a mix of surprise and confusion. "Fine I'll do it," she said as she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. After she threw the dirty shirt on floor she noticed a small grin on his face. Looking at him quizzically she asked, "Are you just trying to get me to undress you?" With a shrug he simply said, "You volunteered."

"You're ridiculous." A smile spread across her face as she grabbed a bath cloth from under the sink and held it under the faucet.

"Are you going to bathe me too," Rick said with a hopeful expression.

"Oh shut up and clean yourself up" handing him the cloth she reached for the door.

"Michonne, wait."

She turned to look at him as he softly held her chin and kissed her lips before pulling away and whispering, "Thank you." She grabbed the hand that was holding her chin and brought it up to her mouth kissing the inside of his palm gently. "You're Welcome." She closed the bathroom door behind her and heard Rick turn the shower on. She knew Carl was going to wake up and she and Rick were going to be okay.


End file.
